AFTER THE LAW FROM LEGISLATIVE SUCCESS TO COMMUNITY-LEVEL ACTION TO END CHILD MARRIAGE IN KENYA

Abstract

This article explores the paradox of pockets of persistently high prevalence of child marriage in Kenya’s Northern counties against the backdrop of national legislative success and declining prevalence overall. Through a legal pluralism lens, it analyzes disaggregated county data which makes visible the bidirectional link between child marriage and poverty. An examination of community-level initiatives by government and civil society reveals a greater focus on norm change than on economic empowerment. The impact of interventions is poorly documented since the potential of initiatives such as county-level Child Protection Centers and the national helpline 116 to routinely gather in-depth localized data has not been fully harnessed. The article recommends investment in a robust evidence base to inform targeted localized interventions, integration of evaluation of impact on child marriage in all projects regardless of sector, and investment in educational and economic opportunities for girls. Unless legal reform is accompanied by such investment, formal legal norms will lose the contest for legitimacy at the local level.